Too many preschoolers with ADHD still are being put on drugs right away, before behavior therapy is tried, health officials say.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday that three in four young kids diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are put on medicines. New CDC data shows that's continued, even after research found behavior therapy is as effective and doesn't give children stomach aches, sleep problems or other drug side effects.
Why? Health insurance coverage for behavior therapy may vary from state to state and company to company. And in some areas, therapists are in short supply, some experts said.
On Tuesday, CDC officials doubled down on its previous recommendations, calling on doctors and families to try behavior therapy first.
ADHD makes it hard for kids to pay attention and control impulsive behavior. More than 6 million U.S. children have been diagnosed with it.
"By the time a parent comes to meet with me, they are tired and worried," Dr. Georgina Peacock, a CDC developmental pediatrician who works with ADHD families. "They are concerned their child might jump down a flight of stairs, that the child could get lost in a grocery store, or that the child could be kicked out of preschool."
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5 comments:
Nothing new!!! This has been going on since the 80s!!! Kids are ALL hyper active. But these teachers/doctors don't want to deal with them. So they come up with reasons not too. Case in point. My neighbor and I have boys the same age. They both were told our sons had this mythical issue. She allowed her son to be medicated. I did not. Now her son is having issues in college due to the fact he was a ZOMBIE in school and didn't comprehend what was being taught. The lights were on but nobody was home. My son graduated HS early and will do the same with college plus working.
Behavior therapy is the same thing I called a belt on the butt. When I see one of these kids on medicine they sure don't seem like they are aware of whats going on around them. They seem like zombies. Parents need to go back to discipline like in the older days instead of talk, talk, talk, talk, go ahead and let them do as they please.
If a parent gets a child diagnosed with ADHD, they are determined disabled and given monthly SSDI payments. It's the new welfare.I know a family who gets over $1000 tax free dollars a month for this fictional BS.
A damn good spanking stops ADHD pretty good! My how the kids sit still after that!
They tried to suggest this for my son when he was in elementary school to "help him focus".
I refused and told them if forced, come arrest me! I will dump every pill down the toilet. If they can't control you, they want to medicate you! My son is now in college and has done very well for himself. This was at West Side primary back in 2002. Ritalin was the drug of choice back then!
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